AirGunner - PM received. I'll stand by the fact that over-dramatacism (if that's a word) tends to detract from a discussion in an attempt to draw attention to one's self. It's a standard misdirection used when the logic of an argument is failing.

First, I don't remember any RPA operators starting this discussion about how much stress they were under; the original post was about a Reuters article that quoted some study.

Second, I don't remember the article making any claims such as "RPA operators think they are under more stress than UH-60 gunners", the article focused on the fact that a study confirmed that there is an element of stress involved in current RPA operations and that stress is largely NOT PTSD-related. It's related to an unrelenting PERSTEMPO with no relief on the horizon. Is that a surprise to anyone? To hear you say that they can't claim they are under any stress because you are under more stress (which is effectively what you were saying in the post that you called them clowns) is like me saying you can't claim that it sucks when your mother-in-law stays too long because it sucks more when an Army deployment is extended. I flew and fly what I flew and fly, you fly what you fly, and they fly what they fly - if anyone thinks someone has a better deal, go join them.

Speaking about working with the Army rubbing off on you, the one thing that I don't get from them is this "it's all about me" attitude that is so prevalent in the USAF. If there's one thing that is common in any RPA-related thread on this site, it's the fact that there are bound to be plenty of "they aren't as good as I am" or "they aren't as much in danger as I am" posts. How about this, none of us (even most UH-60 gunners) don't have it as bad as many Army troops who spend 12-months at a time at some forsaken barren FOB while hoping they don't walk or drive by IEDs every time they go outside the wire. Does that invalidate your ability to talk about the stress you are under?

P.S. - Thanks for what you do, seriously. Flying in combat is easier knowing that there are CSAR forces prepped to come get me if I find myself on the ground several hundred miles on the wrong side of the FEBA.

Sometimes I get carried off on a rant, for that I am truly sorry. No intent to draw attention to myself.

Correct, the Air Force Times website also had a link to the study, that is where I went to go read it.

You are correct, that was not the intent of the study nor was I implying that it was. As for PERSTEMPO/MX/manning issues, beleive me I can certanly sympathize with them as we are in the same boat. But when you have some AFSC's currently in a 1 to 1 dwell, it's really hard..even knowing how busy they are..to feel sorry about guys that get to go home every night even if it involves 12 hours shifts days on end. Sorry, if that opinion sounds cold..but that's just the way it is. Maybe I was a little too dramatic in my comparison of their stressors as we both acknowledge that each MDS has their own. I was just comparing, in my own opinionated way, what they considered stressors in the report versus what I considerd to be stressors. Again, if my rant came off as self serving or offensive..sorry.


You'll get no argument from me on most of this statement. I would never compare myself to those ground guys that leave the FOB everyday getting the mission done.

Great, another opportunity for people to interpret a fictional drama as real life individuals complaining about how bad they have it then turning around to post how the characters/actors don't have it nearly as bad (and aren't nearly as brave) as they do.

"...those actors don't get shot at while playing RPA operators who don't get shot at. I can't believe they even wore flightsuits, flightsuits are only for the brave who actually sit in airplanes! They didn't even need real actors for that role, they should have just used my neighbor's kid who's really good at X-Box."

PS: I sure hope the film addresses the threat of discipline and criminal charges that would hang over the crews' heads after a civilian casualty incident.

any one with a Puma background?
 

Any of guys take/know of the Puma course? Guessing it might a little to much knuckle dragging for this forum?

Essay, there may be lurkers with Puma experience who can answer, but know that Pumas have NOTHING in common with the USAF RPA; not in airframe, mission set, payload, emplotment, area of operations, or anything else.

Pumas compare to MQ-1s as gliders compare to F-15s.

Figured. That's why I put the knuckle dragging remark. Essayons.

Unfortunately, any discussion of the details of Puma employment in a counter-IED role exceeds the classification of this board as it's mostly a TTP discussion.

PS - I read some good reporting on the development of the Gray Eagle today. All open source, it appears that they've been credited with finding at least 5 IEDs so far. If the open source credit is 5, they've likely had an impact in more than that. That's significant considering the stage of evolution of their systems (to include Lynx SAR) and the fact that they haven't been operational all that long.

Indeed, interesting stuff. E